Measurement of multiphysical material parameters of piezoceramic components for high-power ultrasonic applications

Simulation-based design of high-power ultrasonic systems depends on the accurate modelling of the electromechanical behaviour of piezoceramic materials. In practical transducer applications, the relevant operating points are influenced by mechanical preload and heating, both of which give rise to changes in the elastic, dielectric, and piezoelectric material properties. Material parameters identified under idealised, unloaded conditions are therefore insufficient to represent piezoceramic material behaviour under realistic operating conditions. To overcome this limitation, experimental setups are developed that enable the measurement of electrical impedance spectra under controlled thermal and mechanical conditions. The acquired impedance data are used in an inverse identification procedure, in which the behaviour of a finite element forward model is iteratively fitted to the measurements using a block coordinate descent optimisation strategy guided by a sensitivity analysis. This yields effective linear material parameters as a function of temperature and mechanical stress at varying operating points. The identified temperature-dependent parameters, for instance, can be employed in a coupled thermo-electromechanical simulation framework to predict the temperature-dependent material behaviour during operation. The linear identification based on varying operation points provides an initial approximation of the nonlinear material response, establishing a basis for the development of corresponding nonlinear material models.